1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to building wall structures and, more particularly, to a prefabricated wall structure which provides for the attachment of insulation and wall board and which is a replacement for standard stud wall constructions in that it provides for quicker assembly of a building structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of prefabricated materials in the construction of buildings has become fairly well known in the art. Traditionally, wooden frame construction homes have utilized standard wooden studs and trusses which are assembled by hand on location. The drawbacks of such construction are primarily the time and effort requirements of the construction workers in erecting the wall sections.
Referring to the All Joist Alliance Product Manual Brochure, a series of prefabricated joist assemblies are employed in the construction of floor and roof systems for buildings. The joists include top and bottom joist members and a compressed wood board extending therebetween. However, and as made clear by the All Joist Brochure, the assemblies described do not appear to have application in use as floor to ceiling wall assemblies which replace the need for standard building construction.
Additional examples of prefabricated wall panels assemblies are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,330, issued to Richard; U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,545, issued to Trouisilek; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,634, issued to Longinotti. In the instance of Richard, the pre-insulated wall panel illustrated includes a rectangular wall frame with top and bottom rail members and a plurality of spaced apart stud members aligned between the rail members. A polystyrene boardstock is affixed to a first side of the rectangular wall frame and a layer of foamed in place polyurethane covers a portion of each cavity adjoining the boardstock.
In the instance of the Trousilek disclosure, a multi-component modular system is disclosed which includes elongate and generally rectangular plastic prefab forms which interlock together so as to define a plurality of vertically extending and concrete-filling passageways. Finally, Longinotti discloses a prefabricated construction for building walls and which includes a pair of panel elements each having a wall portion and a plurality of stiffening rib portions extending along the wall portion. Specified rib portions include recesses which are spaced from the wall portions, and within which are filled an expanded synthetic material to form a wall element. Conduit passageways are defined in the synthetic material between the pair of panel elements and adjacent the recesses in the rib portions.